Roofing-felt and its manufacture



(No Model.)

J. J OWITT.

ROOFING FELT AND ITS MANUFACTURE.

No. 318,910. Patented May 26, 1885.

lNVENTOR:

WITNESSES:

v 0011180; By his JlttOllLGI/S,

' coal-tar and dried, and are afterward coated UNITED, STATES;

1' PATENT tr es.

JOSIAH JOWITT, or STANLEY, NEW JnnsnY.

ROOFING-l-ELT AND ITS MANUFACTURE-u SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 318,910, dated may as, 1885.

Application filed April 2, 1883. (No model.) Patented in England July 25, IFBQ, No. 3,539, and in France January 24,1883,

To all whom it may concern.-

Be, it known that I, JQSIAH J owIT'r,a citi-' zen of the United States, residing at Stanley, in the county of Morris and State of New Jersey, have invented certain improvements in Roofing-Felts andtheir Manufacture, of which the following is a specification.

' Roofing-felt as usually made consists of two or more, usually three, layers of felt-paper which have been separately saturated with with coal-tar pitch and pressed together. The

layers are thus coated by passing them in extended webs through a tank of hot ,pitch. They are then passed between pressure-rolls to press them together and squeeze out the excess of pitch, and they are then cooled and dried, and finally wound upin a 'compact roll for the market. As all the layers are coated with the pitch, the contacting convolntions in the roll are liable to. adhere together, particularly in warm weather when thepitch is soft? cued by the heat, and when" this occurs the material becomes practically valueless, 'because of the impossibility of unrolling it. To

prevent this adherence of the superposed couvolutions, various expedients have been devised for preventing their contact, such as rolling up a web of Manila'paper with the roofing-felt, or sprinkling upon the felt some absorbent powder which is rolled up with it..

These precautions are somewhat effective, but entail considerable expense and annoyance both in the manufacture and use of the felt.

The principal object of my invention is to produce a roofing-felt or other similar material which shall be in all respects equal to that heretofore made, and which shall be cheaper,

more durable, and heater to handle, and

which, above allfshall have a non-adhesive.

surface, so that the convolutions in the roll will not adhere together. To this end I make the .felt with a dry outer surface, containing only enough tar or'pitch to make it waterproof or weather-proof, and confine the heavier or cementing coating of tar or pitch to the interior of thcfelt-between the surfaces which entirely to the edge of thefabric, but by preference I leave'the layers uncemented along each edge, so that the pitch cannot ooze out at the edges of the fabric and cause the confelt made according to my invention. Fig. 2 is 5 an enlarged cross-section thereof. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectionof a two-ply felt made according to my invention. Fig, 4 is a diagram illustratingthe process of making the three-p1y felt by machinery. Fig. 5 is a similar diagram illustrating the process of making the two-ply felt; and Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view illustrating the latter process.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the black .portion represents the coating of pitch or other adhesive substance by which the layers are cemented together, and the shaded portions denote the layers of paper or other fabric coated with tar or pitch and thoroughly dried previously to the layers being cemented together.

' In Figs. 1 and 2, die the inner or interme-' diate layer to which the adhesive coating has been applied, and b b are the outer layers.

In Fig. 3, a is the layer to which the adhesive coating has been applied, and b is the layer which is thereby cemented to it.

I will first describe the process of saturating the layers before making them up into two or three ply felt, referring for that purpose to Fig. 4.

A is a roll of any suitable absorbent fabric, which is usually paper, such as felt-paper or hardware-paper. This roll isplaced in suitable bearings where'it will be free to revolve as the web a dot" paper is drawn off from it.

This web a passes successively under and over a number of pivoted dandy rolls or bars, '0 c, which may be more or fewer according to circumstances, their purpose being to impart a tension to the web so that it shall be kept taut.

G is a tank in which is placed-the tar or other substance used as the saturating mate loo rial to be applied was we or layer a. This tar is heated and kept at the requisite tomperature by a steam-coil, D, or by other suit-y able means. A roller, d, is immersedin the 5 liquid in-this tank, and apair of vpressurerolls, E E, are arranged over the tank. The

web a is carrieddown around the roller d and up between the rolls E E. These rolls are pressed powerfullytogether, are rotated by power,.and are heated preferably by being made hollow and having steam admitted to their interiors. This pressure forces the tar -.into all the interstices of the fabric, and sq ueezes out whatever excess the web may have taken up, which drops back into theitank. The heat thus applied in connection with the pressure aids in causing the tar to thoroughly permeate the fabric, and to some extent volatilizes and'expelsthe lighter and more volatile oils or other constituents of the tar. The

web passes thence to and over a drying-cylinder, F, which is likewise heated, preferably.

- by steam, which further dries the web :by driving ed the additional portion of the more volatile constituents of the tar. The web passes thence around a steam-rollelge, and extends to the winding-roll G, :whichflis rotated by power and winds up the finished prodnct.- j I haveshown but one cylinder F; but in (luces a tarred paper which is, thoroughly. dried or non-adhesive, but ,is nevertheless.-

charged or saturated with a sufficiency of tar to'impart tojt all the water-proof or weatherproof qualities essential to good buildingpr roofing'paper.

rolls of the hot pressed and dried tar saturated 0 iniplace of tar, as it makes a more adhesive coating material. The web b from the rollB' is carried around rollers f f, whichimpartlto dried the three are strongly cemented together;

' practice two or more are used for this prclim'i- In making mythree-ply felt I take three" it the necessary tension, thence around'a roll-y J er,- g and'thence to the winding-roll G. The web b from the roll B'is carried around a roll-k but the pitch'is retainedalmost wholly in the spaces between; the webs or layers and does not penetrate through the outer layers. Com sequentlythe finished felt presents a dry and clean outer surface on both sides, and its con: volutions do not adhere together in the roll even in the heat of surntner. I thus make a fabric that is cleaner, neater to handle, and in many practical respects is superior to the product heretofore 'made, and which on being wound into rolls does not require the interpo- 1' sition of any separating sheets or powder.

The pitch is kept back from the edges of the completed fabric byusingas the web aha roll of paper somewhat narrower than the webs b b. The latter are usually thirty-six inches wide, in which case the web a should be-thirtyfive inches-wide, thus allowing an uncemented edge of a half-inch in'width on each side of the felt. If in very warm weather the cementing coating" of pitch should ooze out at the ends of the roll, ,it would remain in the space between the two layers b "b and would cement 90. these together, but could: not .under any conditions to which trolls of roofing-felt are .ordi narily exposed exude in sufficient quantity to escape fromthe layers b b, and so cement the adjoining convolutiohs of felt toeachl other. '5

This method-of making the roofing or build-J ing paper with an unceinented edgeis not new: with me, being described in'the patent of A- Sackett, No. 278,278, dated May 22,1883; Sackett is also, as -I believe, the first inventor 10c of the method'of cementing two layers (shown 1 in Fig. 3) by coating. one layer with the: cementing substance, but leaving it uncoated i along both edges, and bringing its coated surface in contact with the other ayer. g

I have said that all-threel lls,a A,B', and 1 B1, are of previously saturatedvand dried fabric; but it is not essential that the intermediate layer, a, shall have been previously sat- 'urated, as untreated paper may be used as the 110 web a'with .nearly as good results. In this case it becomes saturated with the pitch used asthe coating material.- Neither isit essen: tial that the webs b b "shall havelbeen previously coated and woundinto rolls, as the cbat- I 15 I have describedpitchi as the coating;ma-I25 terial used to'cement the three layers-together,

but it is obvious that any suitable icement,

varnish, or otherladhesive material may be a used. I will now-describe certain other and sub- 13 sidiary featuresof my invention.

,In making three-plyfclt on the machine illustrated inmy application No. 85,666, filed.

December 30, 18S2,some:difliculty has been i found, particularly in cold weather, in making the three layers adhere together with the requisite tenacity, owing to the cooling of the coating of pitch on the intermediate layer before it effected the cementing together of the three layers. I-now remedy this defect by'heating the outer layers before they come in contact with the inner one, so that they shall not chill the pitch when they touch it. The result is a much more perfect adhesion than when the outer layers are worked cold, and the heat of the inner layer is relied on to keep the pitch at an adhesive temperature. The inner layer may even cool considerably before meeting the outer ones without impairing their adhesion, although it is preferable to have all three of about the same warmth.

I effect this heating of the outer layers or webs by making the rollers g and h hollow and passing steam through them. As the webs b I) pass around these rollers they are heated to the requisite temperature.

Instead of passing the webs b b over steamrollers they may be heated in other ways, as by lamps, stoves, or fines. In Fig. 4 a web is shown as heated by passing it between steamboxes.

Another feature of my invent-ion consists in a method for increasing the smoothness or uniformity of the coating of pitch which is applied to the web a. Herctofore the cylin' der F and roller e have been caused to revolve at the same speed as the web. I now apply power to the cylinder F and cause it to revolve at a surface speed somewhat greater than that of the web. The proportion which I have adopted is that the cylinder shall move ten feet while the web travels nine feet; but this proportion may be varied greatly. The cylinder may even be caused to revolve more slowly than the web; but this is less desirable, because it increases the resistance to the movement of the web, whereas when the cylinder moves with an accelerated speed it aids in propelling the web. a The result of thus causing the cylinder to travel at a different speed from the web ofpaper is to establish a sliding motion between the two, which wipes the coatingof pitch and spreads it uniformly over the paper, and also prevents its adhering to the cylinder. I also fix the roller e so that it cannot revolve, or use in its place'a fixed pipe or tubewith a smooth and polished surface. This acts in similar manner to the accelerated cylinder byspreading lumps and ridges of pitch equally over the surface of the paper. By these means I prodnce'roofing-felt of uniform thickness and without lumps or ridges.

Fig. 5 shows'the method of 'making the twoply felt shown in Fig. 3. The two webs a and I) used for this felt are of equal width, and mustbot-h have been previously saturated, as the coated web is not immersed in the pitch. A tank, H,.coniaini ng the pitch, is mounted between the rolls E E and the cylinder F, and in this freely turns a coating-roller, I. As the web a is drawn over this roller, the latter revolves inthe tank and takes up a coating of pitch, which it applies to the under side of the wcba. As the roller I is of less length than the width of the fabric, as shown in Fig. 6, it leaves a narrow portionoi' the latter at eachiedge uncoated. The'web a thus coated travels through the machine, as before described, and is united :to the web I) from the roll B, the coating of pitch coming between the two and cementing them together, except along each edge. The roll B is omitted.

This method of coating the fabric in making two-ply felts is notin itself new with me, having been invented by Mr; A. Sackett, and embodied in his application for patent filed May 11, 1883, No. 94,646, and is shown by me merely to illustrate one application of my novel process of making weather-proof or saturated paper, hereinbefore described.

I claim as my in vention 1. A roofingfelt or similar fabric, composed of a roll of two or more extended strips or layers of tar-saturated paper, hot-pressed and dried, cemented together by a coating or coat ings of pitch or other similar adhesive substance intcrvening between the layers of paper and not extending to the exterior surface of the fabric, whereby the latter is externally dry, non-adhesive, and cleanly, substantially as specified.

2. The improved process of makingroofingfelt or other similar fabric, which. consists in applying a coating 'of pitch or other suitable cementing substance to a web or layer of paper or other fabric, partially drying said web by passing it overheated surfaces, and finally rolling the same in contact with one or more webs or layersof fabric which have previously been saturated with water-proof material and dried, substantially as set forth.

3. The improved process of making roofingfelt or other similar fabric, which consists in applying a coating of pitch or other suitable cementing substance to a web or layer of paper or other fabric, passing said web between heated pressurerolls, partially drying said web, and finally rolling it, while its coating of pitch is still adhesive, between two webs or layers of suitable fabric which have been previously saturated with waterproofing material and dried, substantially as set forth.

4. The improved process of making roofingfelt or other similar fabric, which consists in applying to a web of paper a coating of pitch, partially drying the same, by passing said web over heated surfaces, and finally rolling said web in contact with one or more webs or layagainst said cylinder, and causingthe cylinder to travel at a surface speed different from said web, whereby the coating thereon is spread more uniformlythereover; and, finally,

5 uniting said webto one or more other webs,

substantially as set forth.

6.'- The improved process of making roofingfelt or other similar fabric, which consists in passing a web of paper through a bath of hot [0 pitch, squeezing the same between rollers, passing it over a heated cylinder on one side,

which rotates at a surface speeddiflerent from theweb and over a heated stationary roller or tube on the other side, whereby the coating on both sides thereof is spread more uniformly 15 over it, and finally rolling it between two webs of uncoatcd material, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' JOSIAH JOWITT;

Witnesses:

ARTHUR l O. FRASER, HENRY CONNETT. 

